Aigner Chocolates, a much loved Forest Hills store which closed earlier this year, will reopen next week under new ownership.
The shop, at 103-02 Metropolitan Ave., known for its homemade pistachio marzipans, peanut butter cups and almond clusters, closed after the Aigner family, which had run the store for decades, decided to remodel it.
The family was initially planning to reopen the store for its 85th anniversary, but then they decided to retire and sell it instead.
The shop was purchased several weeks ago by Mark Libertini, 42, whose lifelong dream has been to open a chocolate store.
In August, Libertini, a trained pastry chef, who also co-owns a deli in Midtown Manhattan, was in Forest Hills on an unrelated matter and spotted the shop.
He wanted to buy some chocolates for his fiancée, Rachel Kellner. But the store, which Libertini, who lives in Bayside, had never heard about before, was closed.
When he saw the sign that it was for sale, he instantly felt it may be his chance to fulfill his goal.
Two weeks later, he bought the store.
